When The Sun Goes Down - A Midnight Mafia Novel

Chapter Forty-Three

I really didn't want to go out into the hallway in his boxers and tank top, but maybe he was right. They were practically just like shorts. I pursed my lips into a pout as I opened the door. It creaked loudly, making his escape make even less sense to me.

I stuck my head out the door and looked down both sides of the long hallway. It appeared to be perfectly empty.

I took a single step into the hallway.

"Good morning Kate."

I jumped and forced myself against the wall. "Ah hell, you scared the shit out of me!" I cursed to Pietro and blushed.

"That sounds disgusting. I'll call someone to help you clean that up."

"No I didn't-" I started. "Nevermind." I sighed. "Where is Alessio?"

"Work."

"Without you?" I raised a brow. I thought I knew them better than that by now.

He chuckled. "You caught me. He's working out. Would you like me to show you?"

I nodded. He waved for me to follow him into the room he'd apparently come out of just two doors down and on the other side of the hall. I was a little uneasy about following Pietro. Mostly because I had a feeling that Alessio was the type of person who hated being interrupted and I didn't want to make him angry so early in the morning.

The idea of seeing him shirtless and glistening with sweat and watching those strong muscles of his work. Well, that surely couldn't be too good for me this early either.

When I followed Pietro into the room Alessio wasn't in there. There were just monitors lining the walls. Against one wall was a long desk, a desk taking the entire length of the wall. In the middle of the desk was a simple computer.

"See." Pietro said and pointed to one of the screens.

"What the-"

"Security cameras." He said calmly. "There's at least two in every room."

"Every room?"

"Of course." He sat down at the computer and typed a few things and suddenly all of the monitors changed in unison. I could see my shirtless Alessio punching a punching bag in every screen now.

"Even the uh...the bathrooms?" I muttered while watching Alessio as if I were in some sort of trance.

"Oh yes."

"Huh. Well, uh, how about that." I said feeling the heat rushing to my cheeks. That meant he'd seen Alessio and I last night. Not that anything happened, but a few things could probably be assumed from the footage.

"Audio too. Watch this." He picked up a pair of headphone with a mic attached to it. "Hey Don." He said into the microphone.

Alessio stopped punching and looked up towards the direction of the camera.

"Smile and wave pretty for the camera." Pietro urged. Alessio flicked him the bird and turned his attention back to his punching bag. He was such an ass.

I smiled to myself. "Pietro I need to leave. My car isn't here, how can I get in contact with Benji to ask him to drive me?"

"Buon anima." Pietro said practically on auto command.

"Wait, what?"

"It means-"

I shook my head quickly. "I know what it means." All too well. "I just, I didn't know Benji..." I let my sentence trail off. "I guess you guys are used to this sort of thing." Pietro didn't reply and I realized that sounded horribly insensitive. "I'm sorry. It's just...I mean I know in your...business. There are a lot of casualties I'm just not used to them taking people I actually knew." That was a lie. It had taken half of my family, but that wasn't important. That wasn't what I meant.